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Well, yesterday (Saturday, March 5th), I saw a white pearl GS300 on the fwy in the morning and I was surprised how it looked better than in the mags. So later in the day, I stopped by a Lexus dealership that had several on the lot. Silhouettte is similar to the Nissan Maxima but has higher level of detail in the body panels, more complex and subtly carved curves and lines. The raised horizontal lines high on the side of the hood at the A-pillar (the trend started by BMW with the old 5-series) and at the side of the trunk by the C-pillar (started by the current BMW 7-series) are both done much better than BMW and Honda Accord. I think the taillight shape looks great but the front end, although just fine, looks a little too much like the old GS. So many subtleties and details on the exterior that I didn't expect. I wonder how the new Infiniti M will look compared, as it also has a similar silhouette.

The ergonomics on the interior were disappointing. It has a very narrow feel, sort of like the BMW 3-series but it looks like a longer, bigger car from the outside. Very strange. It's so narrow on the inside that the peripheral vision in my left eye kept feeling like my head was too close to the A-pillar, like its base is already not wide enough and continues to taper inward too much as it meets the roofline. Not good and too me an undeniable flaw. Also, seats feel very low because the dashboard top is very very very very high. The vertical center console stack seems to just go up and up and up down the middle. Doesn't feel right. I can raise the seat but (1) my head gets even closer to the A-pillar and (2) the dashboard is still very very very high. What a strange strange feeling. This is the second undeniable flaw, in my opinion. Otherwise interior is quite nice except for cheap fake wood plastic pieces on the horizontal console that runs down the middle. The Infiniti M at the car show's interior seemed about the same in quality overall but had a more spacious feel. I remember the 1st generation GS looked long from the side but thin and narrow looking straight on from the rear. This one doesn't look it from the outside but the inside is uncomfortably narrow. I just don't feel right in the driver seat. Has some interesting edgy horizontal lines (were they thinking about the Bangle BMW's) in the door panels and dashboard but these only accentuate the tallness of the center stack and dashboard as well as the door height. In fact the door panel curves foward and inward at the side of the dash and takes away even more space (and my eyes can sense it too). The door panel curves so much that ergonomics are compromised because you have to twist your wrist in an awkward way to hit some of the control buttons on the door. What the hell were they thinking?

With these noticeable flaws yet a beautiful exterior for the most part, is this the crack that Infiniti needs? The Lexus GS has 245 and 300 HP while the Infiniti M has 280 and 335 HP. The Lexus GS is not sporty enough to take away from the true BMW 5-series enthusiasts. The Infiniti seems like it is poised to take away from both the BMW and the Lexus. The Infiniti M is the first Nissan/Infiniti with an interior that is acceptable to me. Finally, the Infiniti pricing overlaps with the Lexus but is generally a few thousand dollars cheaper at each price point.

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Forgot to mention that the rear end has an eerie similarity to the Nissan Maxima's rear directly from behind. They adjusted the lines and added the 2 vertical character lines first seen on the Honda Odyssey and Accord that create a more 3-D effect from the rear.

Just yesterday I got a close-up look of the last generation Lexus GS and it's clear the proportions and silhouette were much different from the new GS. I have absolutely no doubt now that Lexus copied the silhouette of the Nissan Maxima as well as the rear end. Imagine that. Of course, the Maxima has a very pleasant profile and overall shape, looking most impressive from the side and rear, but of course the surfacing of the panels are pretty workman-like and crude, which is a Nissan trademark. It'll be interesting to see if the new Infiniti M will have subtler and more complex surfacing to match the new Lexus GS.